


However Brief

by PRcrazy



Category: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, DOFP spoilers, FC spoilers, M/M, Sorry for the sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-01-27 20:57:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1722281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PRcrazy/pseuds/PRcrazy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magneto's last moments at the Chinese temple. </p><p>Maybe that was how one knows a wound is fatal, by how much it hurts.</p><p>Movie spoiler alert.</p>
            </blockquote>





	However Brief

**Author's Note:**

> Don't own X-Men, that belongs to Marvel and the genius that is Stan Lee.
> 
> Movie Spoiler Alert. Don't say I didn't warn you.

It hurt.

Maybe it was because he wasn’t as young as he used to be, but a wound had never hurt so much before. And he’s had his fair share, so he would know. Maybe that was how one knows a wound is fatal, by how much it hurts. Yet, in the midst of the pain, he felt an absurd urge to laugh. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him; he blew those damn Sentinels to Hell with their ship and yet they still killed him.

Instead he merely released the metal shrapnel he had held and took out the polymer shard embedded to his side. He looked at it grimly while the rest of the team made sure everyone was alright. He had to admit, he never expected to die so old. Many times he had thought he was going to die a young man, fighting for his race. Many times he had thought that Charles would be the one to kill him. One could say he had almost as many lives as Logan with how many times he came to the brink of death.

It wasn’t until he heard the screams that he looked up in time to see the Sentinel flinging Ororo’s - Storm’s – body over the side of the temple. Surprised by the surviving Sentinels, the other mutants battled desperately for their lives, but he could only think, _Must protect them. Must protect Charles._ No matter how wounded and helpless he was, he levitated the scrap metal left over from the ship and melded them into one large hunk of metal against the door to protect those within. Even so, he knew it would barely hold the enemy back, but it was all he could really do. He could feel his power weakening with every drop of blood that dripped from his wound.

Despite their efforts, the team was being picked off one by one like mere toys ripped apart by belligerent toddlers. He watched as the Sentinels made Bishop overheat and explode, and Blink desperately tried to redirect their attacks away from the other mutants.

_Erik!_

Charles’s voice thundered through his mind at the same moment that a Sentinel landed in front of him. Only one thought took hold of him, _Get to Charles_. He started edging towards the door as the monster stalked forward, his power useless against it. Good thing that Blink saw and opened a portal to the inside for him, because he didn’t want to die away from his best friend. He heard the fight outside as he stumbled through the hallway. He knew with absolute certainty that unless Logan succeeded they would not survive; this was truly their last stand.

He finally arrived at the inner chamber of the Chinese temple where Kitty was desperately hanging onto Logan’s consciousness as Bobby desperately hung onto Kitty’s life. But he ignored them in favor of the bright blue eyes that even now took his breath away. He collapsed against a column as Charles approached him, radiating sadness. Charles should never be sad; it was one of his many regrets, putting that clouded look on his face.

“Bobby,” the telepath said while never taking his eyes of his crumpled figure, “give me some of those bandages. I need to…”

“Don’t, Charles,” Erik interrupted, “you and I both know it won’t make any difference. I’m dying; about time, wouldn’t you say?”

Time had taught Professor X many things, including how to keep a calm and stern façade. He employed it now and employed it well, but even though Erik wasn’t a telepath, he could see desperation etched into his features, read grief in every line around his eyes. It made him happy, to know that Charles still cared for him after all he had done, all the mistakes he had made.

_You idiot. Of course I care, you are the most important person in my life after…after Raven._

Any other time he probably would’ve chuckled sadly, remembering Raven and her feistiness, but now he could only afford a watery smile.

He felt Charles’s consciousness, as familiar as his own, delving deeper into his mind and he let him. He was tired, so tired, of fighting and besides, his presence was comforting; he could use some comfort right now. As his thoughts were sifted through, Erik felt as though Charles had pressed a record button, was coping his memories and taking them into his being, as if they were too important to die with him. The thought almost brought him to tears.

He had to say it. They didn’t have much time left. The Sentinels were at their door, even now he could hear the screams of the mutants as they died, and everything seemed hopeless. This was the last time to say it, the last time to confess, but he couldn’t say it in front of the others, so he looked into Charles’s eyes and said the next best thing.

“All those years fighting, wasted! If I could only take them back in a single moment.”

_And just be with you._

The powerful telepath stared wide-eyed at him after reading his mind. It took him 60 years to confess, even if he hadn’t said the exact words. Well, better late than never.

Erik stretched his hand and Charles scrambled to take it into his own, eyes never leaving his face.

_I’m sorry._

Charles’s façade started to crack as he clenched his jaw. He bent his face close to Erik’s and looked steadily into his eyes, as though willing him to see his secrets through them.

_I have forgiven you years ago, my friend. You’d think you would’ve known already._

He then smiled tearfully, leaned in and bestowed a gentle kiss upon his lips. As Erik closed his eyes and answered, a single tear fled from beneath his eyelids and ran down his cheek.

Their first and last kiss.

He could’ve had this.

He could’ve had this a lifetime ago. He’d wanted this for so long, wanted Charles to caress his cheek as he deepened the kiss like he was doing now. But his ideals got in the way. He doesn’t regret fighting for his people, but he does regret what it cost him.

The extinction of his people.

And Charles.

An explosion caused them to look up, ending the kiss. “I can’t hear them,” whispered Charles, looking back at Erik, meaning clear.

Game over.

For everyone.

Bobby ran to the entrance in a last desperate effort to keep the Sentinels out. Kitty began to mutter, “Come on, Logan! Please save us! Please!!!”

Erik and Charles just kept looking at each other, remembering everything they could.  
 Maybe it was the darkness creeping along the edge of his vision, but he suddenly saw Charles as a young man, back when he helped Erik move the satellite with his happy memories: twinkling blues eyes, floppy brown hair, a beautiful smile, and all hopeful determination. The greatest man he’ll ever know.

_Goodbye, my dearest friend._

_Goodbye, Erik._ Charles whispered in his mind as he wiped the tear from Erik’s eye with a soft smile and kissed his forehead before pulling away to face the encroaching enemy.

It seemed like a millennia since he prayed, even longer since he believed in anything worthy of a prayer. But as he looked at the blurred outline of Charles’s profile, he sent one final prayer to whoever would listen.

_Save them. Please God, save them all. Take me if you must. Send me to the deepest pit of Hell. But let Charles live. Let them all live._

As he closed his eyes and breathed his last, he missed Charles giving him one last longing gaze before the Sentinel entered the room.

_I love you, Erik Lensherr._

He never heard those words.

END

**Author's Note:**

> Cherik isn't one of my main ships, but saw the last movie and I just had to write about it before the inspiration was gone. So I wrote this little story to take a breather from my other to fics in progress.
> 
> There's more than one meaning to the last line of the story, write me about what you think it is! Comments are love after all!
> 
> Any grammar mistakes feel free to notify me. I have no beta.
> 
> Hoped you like it!
> 
> Adieu!


End file.
